August 21, 2020
NAS Sigonella Firefighters to the Rescue! Story by MC2 Joshua Cote, NAS Sigonella Public Affairs, Photos by MCSN Brandon Pitts and NAS Sigonella Fire and Emergency Department
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ires around the farmland in Sicily are a common sight, especially in the summer. Most of the time, farmers set them in a controlled manner to improve the health of their land, although some are started inadvertently. On occasion, the fires can get a little out of hand. Recently, two fires spread rapidly near Naval Air Station Sigonella facilities. Thanks to efforts from our own fire and security departments, they were both put out with no damage to our property. On August 10, a fire approaching the base fence line quickly covered a lot of ground. NAS Sigonella fire and emergency services worked side by side with Catania firefighters on the ground while Italian Forestale attacked it from the air. This time of year, fires seem to be more common inside the triangle. “It seems like it is a pattern were more fires happen during the summer time,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 2nd Class Francisco Perezguillen, firefighter onboard NAS Sigonella. “When we have brush fires they come in groupings. On average we have a brush fire about once or twice a week. Then the rest of our calls are dealing with building alarms around base.” Many factors come into play when dealing with big brush fires that you wouldn’t have to deal with aboard
a ship. “When it comes to fighting a wild fire, you don’t really need to wear a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus,” said Perezguillen. “As long as you are far enough upwind from a fire, you can get enough oxygen on your own. The way you fight wild fires depends on the conditions of the environment such as humidity and heat and, most importantly, the wind direction and speed. On a ship you wouldn’t have to think of those things in most cases.” At the fire station, Sailors and firefighters work schedules called 48s. That means they have to be ready to go at any moment for two days straight, and then they have a two-day break. If you see a fire, the very first thing you should do is if on base call 911 to report it, and off base call 095-861911. “When it comes to wild fires, the most important and helpful thing for us is to report it right away,” said Perezguillen. “What has been happening lately is when the fires start and people notice them, they post photos on Facebook or to SigList, and we don’t get notified to 30 or 40 minutes later when the fire gets bigger.” Remember to report the fire and not try and fight it yourself, because you don’t know how fast it is going to grow. It can look really small, but with a quick shift in the wind, it can get out of hand very quickly.
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